Pipe line pump



July 9, 1963 H. HoRNscHucl-l 3,096,785

PIPE LINE PUMP Filed June 27, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR H/VNS HOH/VSOHUGH July 9, 1963 H. HoRNscHUcH 3,096,735

PIPE LINE PUMP HIS TTO Y iid-96,785 Patented July 9, 1963 Jersey Filed .lune 27, 1360, Ser. No. 38,836 4 Claims. (Cl. 137-569) This invention relates to centrifugal pumps and particularly to a type of pump for use as a blower or pressure booster in a pipe line yfor pressure fluids such as natural gas and the like.

As pipe line systems for natural gas and the like are generally long or extensive, pressure boosters are required at intervals to compensate for pressure drops due to line friction. Such boosters often are located in remote areas which are inconvenient for attendants and, therefore usually are provided with automatic regulation of the blower driving units. Where constant speed motors are employed regulation of the discharge pressure may be accomplished `by means of throttling devices. Complete stoppage of the booster is not always desirable since the flow of fluid through the inoperative unit may cause excessive pressure drop.

During periods of low ilow demands it may be desirable to shut down, automatically, a Iblower unit since its use may develop undesirable or unnecessary high pressures.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a blower with by-pass means to permit blower shut down that is unattended by excessive line pressure drop.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic by-pass in combination with a pipe line blower that is blocked when inoperative to derive uninterrupted line flow.

Still another object of this invention is to provide alternate paths in a pipeline wherein one path provides a pressure Aboost and the second path is merely la by-pass.

This invention contemplates a pipeline blower oomprising a casing having an inlet and discharge, a pump within the casing having an inlet nozzle sealingly disposed in the casing inlet and a discharge nozzle communicating with the casing discharge, adjustable valve means in the inlet nozzle to control flow to the pump yand to block flow to the pump when it is inoperative, the pump being spaced from the casing to form a passage from th-e casing inlet to the casing discharge, and normally closed check valve means in the inlet nozzle that permits flow from the casing inlet to the passage when the valve means block-s flow to the pump.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention Will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings `are for illustration purposes only and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention.

FIGURE 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a pump unit constructed in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the unit taken at the line 2 2 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing, a pipeline blower made in accordance with the invention has a tubular outer casing l and an inlet portion 12. with a flange 14 which is secured to casing l0- by a ring of flange bolts 16. Casing 1d has a discharge portion 18 with an end flange 2t) for connection to a flange 24 of the down-stream portion of a pipe `line 22 by bolts 21. The up-stream portion of pipe line 22 also has a flange 28 for connection with the inlet portion llange 30.

A blower or pump 32, preferably of the centrifugal variety is disposed in casing 1t) and has a rotor 34 mounted on a drive shaft 36. A generally cylindrical Wall 38 is spaced within casing 10, forming an outer wall, to provide an annular passage therebetween that extends from the inlet 12 to the outlet 1S. A plurality of Webs 40' for supporting wall 38 are cast integrally therewith and with casing 10. Spaced within wall 38 and formed integrally therewith and with the outer wall of casing 10 is the housing 42 which contains a motor (not shown) connected to shaft 36 adapted to drive impeller rotor 34. Shell 42 is adapted to support a suitable bearing assembly 44, for shaft 36 adjacent rotor 34. At the opposite end of shaft 36, a combined radial and thrust bearing 46 is provided as is a suitable 4shaft driven oil pump assembly 48 for supplying lubricant from a reservoir 50; disposed at the bottom of hou-sing 10, in suiicient quantities to the bearing assemblies 44 and 46.

A bracket S2, for supporting thrust bearing assembly 46, overhangs the :bearing and is provided with an end cover 54. Blower 32 has an inlet nozzle 56 suitably attached to wall 3S with its front end extending into inlet portion 12. A packing 58 is disposed between the front end of nozzle 56 and the inlet portion 12 for sealing when the inlet portion is attached to the main portion of casing lil. As shown in the drawings inlet nozzle 56 of the pump provides a rounded approach to the eye of the rotor imp-eller 34 and is provided with a plurality of radially disposed, angularly spaced throttling vanes 60 therein. Each of the vanes 60l is rotatable on a shaft having a spur gear 64 in mesh with a ring gear 62 that encircles nozzle 56. Therefore, by rotating the ring gear 62, by any Well known control means in response to a desired signal, all the vanes 60 are rotated to alter their angular position relative to the flow through inlet nozzle 56. As is Well understood, such changing the angular positions of vanes 60 will control the angle of incoming flow to the impeller eye to regulate the inlet pressure and affect the discharge pressure accordingly.

A plurality of webs 66 are formed integrally with the wall 38 and housing y42 extending across the annular space therebetween which forms a discharge nozzle for pump 32 in which such webs 66 act as diffuser vanes. The nozzle so formed is directed toward the discharge portion yl; of casing 10. As will be seen from FIG. 2, the pump discharge nozzle formed by Wall 38 and the outer wall of casing 10 forms a passageway substantially encircling pump 32 interrupted only 'by the pump inlet nozzle 56.

During normal working conditions, centrifugal pump 32 causes a pressure rise from the inlet portion 12 of casing 10 to the outlet portion 1S to a suitable degree for further transmission of iiuid through pipe line 22, and desired inlet flow to rotor 34 is accomplished by proper regulation of vanes 60 with expected savings in power of the driver of pump- 32.

During other operating conditions, however, it is more desirable to shut down pump 32 and in accordance with the subject invention this may be accomplished. Toward this end, the passage formed between wall 38 and the outer wall of casing 10 provides a :by-pass connected by a plurality of suitable check valves 70, when open, angularly spaced from one another in the Wall of inlet nozzle -56 and upstream of vanes 6) to provide communication from the inlet portion 12 to the outlet portion `18. Preferably, check valves 70 are of a type with low pressure drop and may -be of any suitable and well-known construction. inasmuch as the pressure uid at inlet portion 12 of casing 10, during such a condition, is already higher than is probably desired, a small pressure drop through valves 7d is more lbeneficial than otherwise. Regulating vanes 60 also are provided to stop the flow through rotor 34 to prevent its spinning or windmilling which causes unnecessary wear and use of lubricant. Toward this end vanes 60 when closed, or disposed transverse to the -ow path in nozzle 56 to substantially close such nozzle, block flow from rotor 34 and substantially all the pressure fluid passes through valves 70. Therefore spinning or windmilling of rotor 34, due to pressure iluid ow through the rotor when not driven by the rotor, is alleviated. When the pump 32 is operating, however, vanes 61B are of course in open position. Upon a change of conditions corresponding to a relative drop in pressure within the inlet portion '12, which would indicate the need of restarting pump 32, bypass or check valve 70 will automatically close because the pressure differential across pump 32 `drops and tends to reverse.

Thus, -by the above construction are accomplished the objects hereinbefore referred to.

I claim:

1. A pipeline blower comprising a casing having an inlet to receive a flow of pressure Huid and a discharge for such ow, a ow path for the flow in the casing connecting the inlet to the discharge, pump means in the ow path to provide driving force to the flow therethrough, normally open valve means in the oW path -being adjustable between fully opened and fully olosed positions to control flow to the pump means and to substantially shut the inlet in the ifully closed position to block the How from the pump means when such pump means is inoperative, a by-pass path for the low in the casing connecting the inlet to the discharge, and normally closed valve means in the by-pass path that opens to pass the flow of pressure fluid therethrough from the inlet to the discharge when the normally open valve means in the -flow path closes to block the flow `from the pump means.

2. A pipeline blower comprising la casing having an inlet and a discharge spaced from each other, a pump within the casing and having an inlet nozzle sealingly mounted in the casing inlet and a discharge nozzle directed at the casing discharge, valve means in the inlet nozzle being adjustable lbetween fully opened and fully closed positions to control ow to the pump and to substantially shut the inlet nozzle in the fully closed position to block flow to the pump, the pump being spaced from the casing to form a passage lfrom the casing inlet to the casing discharge, and biased closed check valve means in the inlet nozzle that opens against the bias in response to inlet ow to permit iiow from the casing inlet to the passage when the adjustable valve means blocks ow to the pump.

3. A blower according to claim 2, in which the inlet nozzle has a cross-sectional area smaller than the crosssectional area of the casing inlet.

`4. A pipeline blower comprising a casing having an inlet and a discharge spaced from one another, a pump within the casing and having ian inlet nozzle sealingly mounted in the casing inlet and a discharge nozzle directed at the casing discharge portion, a plurality of vanes in the inlet nozzle being rotatable between fully alined and fully misalined positions relative to the ow path in the nozzle to control flow to the pump and to substantially close the inlet nozzle in the fully tmisalined position to block ow to the pump, the pump being spaced from the casing to form a passage from the casing inlet to the casing discharge, and a plurality of normally biased closed check valves mounted in the nozzle that are opened by viiow `from the inlet to pass such flow to said passage when the vanes block flow to the pump.

` References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v 2,083,186 Anderson June 8, 1937 2,092,376 Klemm Sept. 7, 1937 2,139,416 McLane Dec. 6', 1938 2,189,162 yBuck Feb. 6, 1940 2,830,755 Anderson Apr. 15, 1958 2,831,627 Brunner Apr. 22, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 269,984 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1927 1,079,954 Germany Apr. 14, 1960 1,121,319 France Apr. 30, 1956 

1. A PIPELINE BLOWER COMPRISING A CASING HAVING AN INLET TO RECEIVE A FLOW OF PRESSURE FLUID AND A DISCHARGE FOR SUCH FLOW, A FLOW PATH FOR THE FLOW IN THE CASING CONNECTING THE INLET TO THE DISCHARGE, PUMP MEANS IN THE FLOW PATH TO PROVIDE DRIVING FORCE TO THE FLOW THERETHROUGH, NORMALLY OPEN VALVE MEANS IN THE FLOW PATH BEING ADJUSTABLE BETWEEN FULLY OPENED AND FULLY CLOSED POSITIONS TO CONTROL FLOW TO THE PUMP MEANS AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY SHUT THE INLET IN THE FULLY CLOSED POSITION TO BLOCK THE FLOW FROM THE PUMP MEANS WHEN SUCH PUMP MEANS IS INOPERATIVE, A BY-PASS PATH FOR THE FLOW IN THE CASING CONNECTING THE INLET TO THE DISCHARGE, AND NORMALLY CLOSED VALVE MEANS IN THE BY-PASS PATH THAT OPENS TO PASS THE FLOW OF PRESSURE FLUID THERETHROUGH FROM THE INLET TO THE DISCHARGE WHEN THE NORMALLY OPEN VALVE MEANS IN THE FLOW PATH CLOSES TO BLOCK THE FLOW FROM THE PUMP MEANS. 